If you have the luxury of having a working document camera in your classroom, then hopefully you’re already using it on a daily basis to cut down on the need to make copies, and present material to your students. What you may not realize, however, is that there are literally hundreds of ways in which your document camera can be used to facilitate learning in the classroom. We’ve selected and outlined several of our favorite creative uses for document cameras below!
Show Pictures During Story Time
For grade-school teachers who read picture books aloud to the class, how frustrating is it when your students sitting toward the back are unable to see the pictures when you hold up the book? Make this a problem of the past by using your document camera to project the images on each page as you read to your students. Now, even the students sitting toward the back will be able to see and become engrossed in the story.
Show Fractions on a Ruler
When it’s time to show your students how to use a ruler in mathematics, it’s not always easy showing them the tiny fraction marks on the ruler itself without physically pointing them out to each student in the class. With a document camera, however, you can project a large image of a ruler onto a screen and point out each fraction notch on the ruler to your students using your finger or a pencil.
Demonstrate Calculator Functions
This one comes in handy for teachers at just about any grade level, but is especially useful for those teaching more advanced math classes in middle and high school. You can use your document camera to demonstrate how to use various calculator functions to your students—especially those found on scientific calculators, which can be difficult to explain to your students otherwise. From graphing and functions to derivatives and everything in between, you can use your document camera to demonstrate how to use the calculator properly.
Keep Everybody on the Same Page
When reading together as a class, it can be frustrating when students are constantly asking “what page are we on?” As you read with your class, keep the page numbers of the book projected on the document camera so your students can stay on track without having to interrupt the class. You can also use your document camera to point out specific charts or figures on a page.
These are just a few creative uses for your document camera, but there are dozens more that could come in handy for you. How do you utilize a document camera in your classroom? We’d love to see your responses below!
